Winter challenges can add another layer of difficulty in keeping offices clean, tidy, and safe. Before the snow arrives, plan to allocate labour, define your processes, and create protocols for efficient, effective cleaning.

Here are some factors to keep in mind when creating your winter cleaning checklist:

• Install matting to limit slippery surfaces at entrances and minimize the mess tracked through the building. Vacuum, deep clean and dry your mats regularly to keep them looking professional and performing at their best.
• While salt helps keep parking lots and walkways safe, it can wreak havoc on the floors. Vacuuming up loose salt before mopping to avoid scratching and causing damage to your floors.
• With the added attention to cleaning the floors, ensure to have ‘wet floor’ signs handy to advise staff and visitors and to help avoid slip and fall accidents. Consider using a dryer, too, to keep floors wet for as little time as possible.
• Safety doesn’t just mean keeping surfaces clean. It’s vital to focus on sanitization and hygiene with daily vacuuming, keeping ventilation systems clean and dust-free, and deep cleaning carpets to keep germs and bacteria to a minimum.
• Disinfecting high-touch surfaces like elevator buttons, light switches, restrooms, and door handles can help limit the spread of germs. As well, with the colder weather, office teams will likely be spending more break times and lunch times inside, so pay special attention to sanitizing spaces where staff spend most of their time.
• With darker days, focus on letting light in by keeping windows and blinds clean, for a brighter, cheerier, and more productive environment.
• Increase IAQ and limit static electricity by maintaining humidity levels. Add humidifiers, or dehumidifiers to achieve optimal humidity and avoid mould growth inside the building.
• Managing your labour will help you tackle these tasks efficiently. Help create work-life balance for cleaning teams with organized scheduling, smart policies, and education and training to keep productivity up and absenteeism down.

Cleaning can become a bigger challenge in the winter but keep spaces clean, and staff and guests safe with a proactive approach to winter cleaning.